Safeguarding Shipibo-Konibo Wisdom in Peru

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How are you? I hope you feel curious and inspired after reading this newsletter.

The Tribal Trust Foundation (TTF) was honored to be invited to attend and document a traditional rite of passage of a young Shipibo-Konibo girl on her thirteenth birthday. The Shipibo-Konibo are an Indigenous people who live along the Ucayali River in the Amazon rainforest in Peru. The intention of this documentary project is to reveal ancient wisdom and traditions through the eyes of an Indigenous teenage girl, making us see with our hearts and inspiring us to support the next generation in practicing their traditions. The Tribal Trust believes that amplifying the voices of youth will raise global awareness about the unique Shipibo-Konibo culture that is threatened by the drug cartel, mafia, exploitive industries, and climate change.

We had intended to film this Indigenous tradition and learn if this sacred ceremony that celebrates a child becoming an adult has been modified for girls living in the urban jungle environment of Pucallpa, Peru. Unfortunately, due to the current political instability in Peru, the TTF had to postpone our documentary trip until this summer. However, the Shipibo-Konibo film crew were able to capture the moment on film and with photography thanks to David Díaz Gonzales and the Bari Wesna organization. We look forward to continuing this project and adding more footage with our Indigenous partners.

Please DONATE to support this documentary project. It is an important impact initiative for human rights and cultural resiliency.
Heydi by David Díaz Gonzales
Medicinal plants like ayahuasca, the hallucinogenic vine, are important in the Shipibo-Konibo culture and rituals. Medicine songs inspire Shipibo-Konibo artistic expression. Women use their visions from ayahuasca medicine songs and apply the visual and musical patterns known as Kené on pottery, textiles, tools, and their bodies for ceremonies, which is also thought of as a healing design or design medicine. “Kené expresses an energy matrix woven through all of creation. Inspired by nature and observation of the environment it not only is rooted in the shamanistic visions but, more importantly, in the profound connection with the ecosystem the Shipibo-Konibo tribes are settled in. As such, Kené is not just an art style but it does belong to the ecosystem and is present, in the first place, in plants and animals throughout the Amazon basin.” Be sure to learn more about this unique piece of cultural history, by clicking here.

Shipibo-Konibo artists Sara Flores & Celia Vasquez Yui, who live and work in the Peruvian Amazon.
SAVE THE DATE!

Please save the date of April 7, 2023 for our TTF fundraiser event at the beautiful Santa Ynez Valley. It will include a luncheon, tour of the extraordinary Spirit Pine Sanctuary and an optional hike up to see the wildflowers in bloom!
Painting by Holly Sherwin
As always, we thank you for your continued support and interest in our work.

With warm regards,

Barbara


Barbara Savage
Founder & Executive Director
Tribal Trust Foundation
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The Tribal Trust Foundation is located in the unceded homelands of the Chumash People and the Seminole Tribe of Florida. By recognizing these communities, we attempt to honor their legacies, their lives, and descendants. To learn more about the Indigenous People’s land on which your home or work sits, visit: native-land.ca

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